Starching-machine.



No. 791mm.

PATENTED AUG'. 15, 1905..

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P. MGR, GAVE STARCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR 18, 1904 z-vmwi5-z mew a (mum cuPrIOYU-UDIDGWAPHEN xwsmnmn, u c

PATENT OFICE,

life. 797,3ld.

Specification of Letters Patent.

IlPatented. Aug. 15, 1905,

Application filed April 18, 1904. Serial No. 203,690.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that ll, PAT lvlloltan UAvu, a citizen of the United dtates,residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of NorthCarolina, have invented a new and use :ful titarching-lvlachinc, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in starching-machines.

The object of the present invention is to i inprove the construction ofstarehing-machines and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensiveone, capable after collars, cuffs, and other small articles are fed intoit of starching the same, wiping the superfluous starch from thearticles, and depositing the articles upon a table or other receptacle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a starching-machine inwhich the articles will be effectually prevented from adhering to andwinding around the wiping-rolls.

liurthermore, the invention has for i ts object to enable this mechanismto be readily removed from the starclrpan to permit the latter to beconveniently cleaned.

With these and other objectsin view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of constructionwithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to Without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

in the drawings, Figure 1 a side elevation of a starchinganachineconstructed in accordance with this invention, the starching mechanism.being shown in operative position in full lines and swung backward indotted lines. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is atransverse sectional view on the line at l of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detailsectional View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail viewilh'istrating the manner of yieldably mounting the large roll or drumand the lower rolls. Fig. 'Tis an enlarged detail view illustrating theconstruction of the sectional bearings and the means for holding thesprings in position.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates an approximately semlcylindrical starch pan or receptacleconstructed of sheet metal or other suitable material and se cured toand supported by an approximately rectangular frame 2. The main frame 2consists of corner-posts or uprights 3, connected at their upper endsand lower portions by horizontal bars at.

The starching-pan 1, which is supported by the upper side bars 1-, isprovided with suitable inlet and outlet pipes 5 and 6. The collars,cuffs. and other articles are fed into the machine at the front thereofand are carried through the starch by upper and lower endless carriers,con sisting of upper and lower endless aprons and rolls. The endlessaprons, which may, if desired, consist of solid belts, are preferablycomposed of tapes or cords 7 and 8, arranged at in tervals, as shown.The upper endless carrier has a large roll 9, which is preferablyprovided with annular grooves 10 to receive the cords 7 and which ismounted on a shaft 11.. The shaft 11 is mounted in slidable bearings 12,consisting of suitable boxes arranged in guides 18 of the sides let of ahinged frame which carries the starching mechanism and which is adaptedto be swung into and out of the starch pan or receptacle. Each side letconsists of an upper straight portion or bar and a lower approximatelysemicircular portion 15. The top portion is provided withupwardly-extending arms forming guides and connected by a plate or piece16. Coiled springs 17 are interposed between the plates or pieces andthe journal-boxes 12 for yieldably holding the large upper roll 9 incontact witha curved series of lower rolls 18. The coiled springs arepreferably supported at their upper per-- tions by belts or screws 19,which pierce the plates 16 and which prevent the coiled. springs frombecoming displaced. The sides 14. of the hinged frame are pivoted orhinged to the main frame 2 by a rod or pintle 20, which pierces the sidebars 4 of the main frame. The hinged frame is adapted to be swungbackward from the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1 of thedrawings to that illustrated in dotted lines to afford access to thestarching-pan, whereby the same may be readily cleaned.

The lower rolls 18, which are smaller than the upper roll 9, extendaround the bottom of the same and are preferably corrugated, as shown,and are provided also with annular grooves 21 to receive lower endlesscords. The corrugations are adapted to carry a sup ply of starch upward,whereby the articles will be thoroughly starched. These lower rolls areprovided with suitable journals 22, which are arranged in suitablebearings of the lower curved portion of the sides of the hinged frame.The front portions of the sides are connected by transverse rods 23 andthe lower portions are connected by rods 24, located between the rolls,as shown.

In order that the lower rolls 18 may bear uniformly against the upperdrum or roll 9, the curved lower portion 15 of the hinged frame isprovided with radial slots or openings 40, in which are slidablyarranged sectional bearing-boxes 41 for the reception of the journals ofthe lower rolls. The curved lower portion of the sides of the hingedframe are provided at opposite sides of the slots or openings eiO withprojecting portions or arms L2, which are spaced apart to extend thesaid slots or openings and which are connected at their outer ends byplates 43, suitably secured to the arms. The sectional bearing-boxes areengaged by coiled springs i4, interposed between the plates 43 and thesaid boxes and supported in the spaces between the arms 42 by screws 45or other suitable fastening means. 'By this construction the lower rollsare held against the drum or large upper roll 9 and the articles passingthrough the machine are thoroughly saturated with starch, and the lowerrolls are adapted to yield to inequalities in the thickness of thearticles operated on.

The articles after leaving the rolls 9 and 18 are carried upward by theendless aprons to a pair of wiping-rolls 25 and 26, which have paddedperipheries and are adapted to remove the superfluous starch from thecollars, cuffs, and other articles. The superfluous starch drips backinto the starching-pan, and the articles are carried from thewiping-rolls by the endless aprons, which extend beyond the said rolls,being supported by guide rolls or idlers 27 and 28 of less diameter thanthe wiping-rolls and spaced apart to spread the adjacent stretches ofthe endless aprons. By this construction the articles are prevented fromadhering to and being wound around the wiping-rolls and are deliveredupon a suitable table. (Not shown.) This construction also obviates thenecessity of removing the articles from the machine by hand.

The Wiping-rolls and the guide-rolls, which are provided with annulargrooves to receive the cords, are supported by standards 29, and thelatter are secured by bolts 30 or other suitable fastening devices tothe sides of the hinged frame. If flat tapes or a continuous belt isused, the annular grooves of the rolls will be unnecessary, as will bereadily understood. The standards have forwardly inclined upper portions31 and are provided with rearwardly-inclined angularly-bent arms 32. Thelower guide-roll 28 is journaled in suitable bearings of the arms 32.The arms 31 are provided with longitudinal slots 33 to receive thebearings 34 of the upper wipingroll, which is yieldably held. inengagement with the lower wiping-roll by coiled springs 35, engaging thebearings or boxes 3t of the upper wiping-roll. The lower wiping-roll isjournaled in suitable bearings or boxes 36, arranged at the lower endsof the longitudinal slots 33. The longitudinal slots 33 extend to theupper ends of the standards, and the sides of the slotted portions areconnected by end plates 37, against which the upper ends of the coiledsprings bear, the coiled springs 35 being held against displacement bysuitable fas-' toning devices 38, which pierce the plates 3'7 and extendinto the upper ends of the springs. The journal boxes or bearings 34 areprovided with rearwardlyextending arms 39, which are provided withbearings for the reception of the journals of the upper guideroll 27,the latter being movable upward and downward with the upper wiping-rollto maintain the upper endless apron at substantially the same tension.

The shaft of the large roll 9 is extended at one side of the machine andis provided with fast and loose pulleys to receive a suitable drive-beltfor operating the machine. The lower stretch of the upper endless apronand the upper stretch of the lower endless apron are contiguous from thefront lower roll 18 to the wiping-rolls, and they gradually diverge asthey leave the latter and extend beyond the same, whereby the articlesare prevented from adhering to and winding around the wipingrolls, andare positivelydischarged at the rear end of the machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine of the class described, comprising a receptacle, and upperand lower carriers composed of upper and lower endless aprons, a largeupper roll receiving the upper endless apron and extending into thereceptacle, a curved series of lower rolls arranged contiguous to thelarge roll and receiving the lower endless apron, upper and lowerwiping-rolls located in rear of the said rolls and receiving the saidendless aprons, the upper wiping-roll being yieldably mounted andmovable toward and from the lower wiping-roll and upper and lowerguide-rolls located beyond the wiping-rolls and receiving the endlessaprons, the upper guide-roll being carried by the yieldable wiping-rollin its movement to and from the lower wiping-roll said guide-rolls beingspaced apart to separate the endless aprons, substantially as described.

2. A machine of the class described, comprising amain frame, ahingedframe provided with opposite standards having slotted upper portions,said standards being also provided with projecting arms, upper and lowerendless carriers composed of endless aprons, rolls arranged contiguousto each other and receiv- 'reasaa bearings slidable on the upperportions of the standards, upper and lower wlping-rolls mounted on thestandards, the upper wiping roll being arranged in the slidablebearings, upper and lower guide-rolls, one of the guiderolls beingmounted on the said arms, and the other being carried by the slidablebearings, and upper and lower endless carriers arranged on the rolls,substantially as described.

In testimony that I. claim the foregoing as my own I have heretoai'lixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PAT McRAE CAVE.

Witnesses:

F. R. MoNmoni, S. C. BRAWLEY.

